'If it weren't for the oil, my people would be in poverty right now': Fort McKay chief Jim Boucher.

Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline has been vehemently opposed
by many First Nations groups, but voices on the other side of the
divide emerged Wednesday to launch a strong defence of the oilpatch.
Chief Jim Boucher told the Assembly of First Nations' gathering in
Gatineau, Que,. that his community has seen a financial windfall from
its involvement in oil and gas extraction, and that environmentalists
should be ignored because they are to blame for widespread poverty in
Canada's north.
His community of Fort McKay, north of Fort McMurray, the epicentre of
the oilsands, has an unemployment rate of zero, an average annual
income of $120,000, and financial holdings in excess of $2 billion,
thanks to its willingness to do business with Canada's oil and gas
companies, Boucher said.
That money has been pumped into education, long-term care homes for seniors and other infrastructure projects.
"When it comes to pipelines and oilsands development, it's clear from
our perspective that we need to do more," he said, during an
open session on energy policy at the special assembly. "We're
pro-oilsands; if it weren't for the oil my people would be in poverty
right now."...http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pro-pipeline-trans-mountain-first-nations-poverty-1.3886008